Title: Novel strategies to reduce persistent, mobile, and toxic substances in groundwater and wastewater: Impact on agriculture and human health
The predoctoral researcher Alicia Cano López, from the Exposomics, Pollution and Agriculture group, will defend her thesis on 7th November at 11:00h in Sala d’Actes de l’Edifici Vèrtex (Campus Nord, UPC).
Directors: Victor Matamoros and Mònica Escolà
Thesis Committee: Victoria de los Ángeles Salvadó Martín, Tao Lyu and Gianluigi Buttiglieri
Abstract:
Water scarcity is one of the most pressing global challenges, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Mediterranean basin. In countries like Spain, where agriculture is a major consumer of water resources, the use of reclaimed water has become essential for ensuring both water and food security. However, treated wastewater effluents and even groundwater can contain organic micropollutants that are partially removed in conventional water treatments. Among these, persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) substances are especially concerning due to their resistance to degradation, mobility through water systems, and their toxicity potential in the environment, posing risks to ecosystems, crops, and human health.
This PhD thesis explores both the reduction and impact of PMT substances across four experiments. Two focus on treatment technologies, a chemical approach (advanced oxidation process, AOP) and a biological system (nature-based solution, NBS), to eliminate PMT substances from groundwater and wastewater. The other two assess the effects of PMT-contaminated irrigation water on crops, using both hydroponic and soilbased systems. Chapter 3 compares eight oxidation treatments for removing chlorinated solvents from contaminated groundwater, coupled with a human health risk assessment. Chapter 4 investigates four NBS configurations for removing short-chain PFAS and other PMT substances from groundwater and wastewater, focusing on the influence of factors like filter media, grain size, vegetation, and microbial communities. Chapter 5 evaluates PMT uptake and bioaccumulation in lettuce grown in a hydroponic setup, alongside assessments of plant health, metabolomic responses, and implications for food safety. Chapter 7 explores an ongoing soil-based irrigation study comparing secondary and pilot-scale quaternary effluents, analysing suspect PMT uptake, and crop quality, complementing the hydroponic findings.
Overall, this thesis provides novel insights into PMT substances in water resources and agricultural systems, offering both treatment evaluations and risk-based perspectives that may inform future water reuse strategies and regulatory frameworks.
